INSIGHT: Passing the Torch—Advice for Young Female Lawyers on International Women’s Day

On Sunday, March 8, we will celebrate International Women’s Day and laud the many advancements—politically, socially, economically, academically—women have made in the more than 100 years since the day was first recognized.

It’s also the perfect time to focus on where we still fall short and how we continue to make strides with respect to women in the legal profession.

What are we doing now to ensure we make measured progress toward true gender parity? How are we helping women lawyers advance their careers to become law firm and company leaders? There is no single, fail-safe recipe to fix all shortcomings, but one way to foster continued growth is to pass on lessons learned to the rising generation of female lawyers.

Since joining Norton Rose Fulbright—then Fulbright & Jaworski—more than 30 years ago, I have moved from associate to partner to partner-in-charge of our Austin office. I stepped down as partner-in-charge in 2017 and proudly accepted the role as our global co-head of life sciences and healthcare. I also serve on our U.S. management committee with three other fantastic women.

My path has been the result of hard work, perseverance fortitude and luck, but I have also been boosted by mentors, allies, and others throughout my journey.

Critical Need: A More Diverse Work Place

I am and always will be passionate about making my law firm a better and more diverse place to work. The benefits of a more inclusive, well-rounded organization strengthen our people, our clients, and our culture.

Diversity, including gender parity, brings an array of different viewpoints that are instrumental to making good decisions. Clients have diverse leaders, and they expect us to promote diversity throughout our ranks and at the top. A diverse culture also creates an inclusive atmosphere and is incredibly encouraging to our younger lawyers when they see diverse members of the firm in leadership positions.

Although it is the right thing to do, law firms also have economic incentives to create gender parity. Most major clients analyze law firm data, including invoices, to confirm we are meeting their diversity expectations. If we do not, there could be financial penalties associated with that failure.

In fact, some clients at the forefront of this effort refuse to give work to firms that are strong in a practice area but lack diverse partners in that sector. That said, we need our clients to continue pushing work to diverse partners to move the needle in a meaningful way.

Lessons and Advice

Young female lawyers need to find mentors and, in turn, law firms must continue to establish and grow formal and informal mentorship programs.

My mentor was Stephanie Smith, now a retired partner at Norton Rose Fulbright. She was a tremendous lawyer and is an even better human being. Masterful in the courtroom, Smith was among the very best at taking depositions and excelled as a strategic thinker. She took an interest in my career early on, helped me navigate the political landscape, and showed me how to work around and with sometimes challenging personalities. Smith taught me creative legal thinking, patience, good judgment, the importance of being reasonable, and the benefit of always taking the high road.

A good mentor will tell young female lawyers that they will earn the respect of their peers by mastering their craft—first and foremost be good at what you do. In addition, take interest in and understand the business side of the law firm.

Young female lawyers should not wait for opportunities to come to them—they need to seek out the projects they want while taking on whatever tasks are assigned and do a great job at both. They should find their voices early in their careers and use them to speak up, speak loudly, and speak often. They should seek out leadership roles on teams, in their offices, and within their communities as this will provide the visibility needed to work up the law firm ladder.

They should show initiative in every role they take on, suggesting alternative options that can be pursued and identifying additional advantages or concerns that may be outside the scope of an assignment. In other words, they will be noticed by thinking two or three steps ahead of the assigned task, an exercise that can highlight their creativity and forward thinking.

Networking is also an important factor for success. Young lawyers should build relationships with anyone who is a potential business contact, including law school classmates, bar association members, community/civic leaders, clients, and family friends just to name a few. And they should maintain these relationships throughout their careers as one never knows where acquaintances may land and have the ability to send work their way.

Female lawyers can also make an impact toward gender parity by fighting for diversity every day. They must encourage their male counterparts to be active in this fight. Male lawyers are often supportive, but they need to show commitment to gender parity day in and day out.

Proactive Steps by Law Firms

Law firms can promote gender diversity by establishing affinity networks for their female lawyers. They can also provide formal programs to prepare female lawyers to succeed in their careers and assume leadership positions. For example, a career strategy program for female senior associates can help lawyers reach incremental goals that will lead to partnership.

Mandatory unconscious bias training should be provided to all lawyers and staff on an annual basis. Cultural backgrounds and life experiences filter the way in which people view events and make decisions. Judgment and choices are often influenced by more than just logic, and this training helps employees at every level better understand these biases and how they impact our decisions and shape our lives.

Law firms can help foster the success of their female lawyers by offering flexible schedules and being open to alternative working arrangements. I believe all businesses need to support and promote a positive attitude toward those who work differently.

As International Women’s Day approaches, I hope some of my advice for female lawyers, especially those who are just starting out, provides guidance as they try to achieve career excellence. Women have made advances in the legal profession, but they have not yet achieved parity.

I believe that the up-and-coming generation—and there are so many smart, talented, young women who become lawyers each year—will succeed if we continue to mentor and sponsor them going forward and our law firms implement inclusive policies that support the different needs of these amazing women lawyers.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. or its owners.

Author Information

Stacey Martinez is Norton Rose Fulbright’s global co-head of life sciences and healthcare. Based in Austin, Texas, her litigation practice focuses on products liability and class actions, including pharmaceutical and medical device matters, and cases involving exposure to toxic substances.